Remote desktop connection applications allow a user of a “remote” machine to control a particular “host” machine. This is commonly referred to as a “remoting” session. Typically, the remote machine comprises input/output (IO) hardware that is similar to that of the host machine, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor. Throughout a remoting session, the video output data at the host machine is routed to the remote machine, where such video data often includes a user interface (UI) of an operating system executing on the host machine. Conversely, user input data received at the remote machine is routed to the host machine, where the host machine interprets the routed input data as if the input data was received locally at the host machine. For example, a user of a remote machine could select, using a mouse of the remote machine, an executable (.exe) file of a software program located in a folder that is displayed within the UI of the host machine. In this example, the mouse input is routed from the remote machine to the host machine, where the mouse input causes the host machine to execute the selected software program. Then, the host machine routes new video data (which displays a UI of the executed software program) back to the remote machine.
Presently, user interfaces (UIs) for software programs are predominantly designed to include UI elements that are easily selectable using mouse and/or keyboard input devices. However, the evolution of computer hardware has introduced several new input devices, including capacitive multi-touch surfaces seen on smartphones and tablet personal computers (PCs). Though these multi-touch surfaces are favorable in many aspects when interacting with multi-touch based UIs (which include large UI elements that are easy to select using one or more fingertips), the same does not apply when interacting with mouse-and-keyboard based UIs.
For example, if a user of a tablet PC connects to a host machine the user navigates the UI by dragging or tapping his or her finger on the multi-touch surface of the tablet PC. As is well-known, a mouse click specifies a particular (x,y) coordinate of the UI on which a cursor associated with the mouse currently lies. In contrast, tapping a finger to a multi-touch surface specifies a plurality of (x,y) coordinates of the UI on which the tap is placed. Thus, to operate a mouse using a finger, approximation of the plurality of (x,y) coordinates into a single (x,y) coordinate is continually required. These approximations lead to frequent input inaccuracies, thereby reducing the overall productivity of the user when conducting remoting sessions.
Several modifications in UI design have been attempted to increase the accuracy of input when conducting remoting sessions. For example, the ability to zoom-in and zoom-out on a UI allows a user to interact more efficiently with any small interface elements included therein. However, these UI techniques require that the user continually zooms-in and zooms-out on the UI, which is time-consuming and leads to a cumbersome remoting experience. Furthermore, the native gesturing that is recognized by tablet PC devices cannot simply be transferred to the host machine as the host machine is not configured to process multi-touch input.